Gold-separating mechanism.



APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1914.

Patented May 11, 1915.-

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THE NORI'US PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C

' form and construction.

NTTFJL ATES FAN I FRANK W. STEVENS, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR FONE-HALF TO ALFRED HOPEWELL, OF WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS.

GOLD-SEPARATING MECHANISM.

Application filed January 23, 1914.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. STEVENS,

citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, county of MiddleseX,State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Gold-Separating Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

' My invention relates to gold separators of the kind used particularlyin placer mining and where the ore is free-milling and embodies thegeneral type of machine in which quick-silver is employed to gatherparticles of gold contained in gold bearing gravel or ore.

It has for its object a suitable and eflicient machine for this purpose.

My invention will be fully understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and thenovel features thereof are pointed out and clearly defined in theclaimsv at the close of the specification.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a machine embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the quick-silver pan. Fig. 3is a bottom plan view of a quarter of the rotary spreader shown in Fig.1.

Having reference to the drawings there is shown in Fig. 1 a machineembodying my invention having a stand or supporting frame A which may beof any convenient The frame A is provided with a cover B and a spider ordriving mechanism support 0. The spider C and cover B may be secured inposition in any well known manner as by bolts 11 and cap screws 12 asshown in Fig. 1. The spider C is provided with bearings 13 in which aremounted a driving shaft 14 which may be driven in any suitable manner.The shaft l-it carries on its inner end a bevel gear 15 which mesheswith a bevel pinion 16 mounted on the vertical shaft 17 which is in turnrotatably mounted in suitable bearings 19 in the spider C and cover Brespectively.

While I prefer the form of driving mechanism described, obviously anysuitable mechanism for driving the machine may be used.

The frame A supports a quick-silver re-' ceptacle or pan 20 which may besecured Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Serial No. 813,989.

thereto in any well known manner as by cap screws 21 all as clearlyshown in Fig. 1. The bottom 22 of the pan 20 slopes inwardly toward thecenter being in general conical in shape and is provided centrallythereof with a vertical tubular member 23 which extends below the bottomof the pan. In the pan bottom 22, around the flange or lip 24 is anannular groove 25 in which is a pocket 26. The pocket 26 is the lowestpor tion of the pan for reasons hereinafter to be set forth and isprovided centrally there of with a hole 27 having a drain cook 28secured therein. I provide an opening 29 in the side of the pan abovethe bottom 22 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which forms a discharge passagefor the gold bearing gravel or ore after the gold has been separatedfrom it.

The rotary shaft 17 referred to above is provided on its lower end witha member 30 having a double spiral flange or blade 31. The member 30extends into the tubular member 23 forming part of the feed conduit andmakes a working fit therewith. The blades 31 are preferably of thecontinuous spiral type but may be of any well known form commonlyemployed for feeding purposes. Located below the cover B within the pan20, is a rotary member 32. It is secured on the shaft 17 so as to rotatetherewith by means of a key 33 and is separated from the cover B by awasher 34 all as clearly appears in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The rotary member 32 is preferably in the form of a circular disk havingin general a slightly conical under-face and is provided with anupwardly extending rim 35 which has a flange 36 on its upper edge.silver is placed in the pan 20 to fill it to about the level indicatedby the line 37 as shown in Fig. 1 and the rotary member is preferably soarranged that a substantial amount of its lower surface is at leastpartly submerged in the quick-silver.

The under-face of the rotary member 32 has at the center a downwardlyflaring por- Quicktion 38 which is located above the lip 24: of

the feed conduit formed by the tubular member 23. The feeding surface 46is as stated substantially conical and inclined to the surface of thequick-silver in the pan. It is member is so located that its innerportion is well submerged in the quick-silver. While this constructionmay not be absolutely essential to the successful operation of themachine, I regard it as an important feature of my invention for reasonshereinafter to be set forth. The nubs or projections 39, are so arrangedthat the rotation of the disk causes them to spread the materialoutwardly and agitate it so that the particles of gold come in contactwith the quick-silver and are amalgamated with it.

The machine is supplied with the gold bearing gravel or pulverized orecombined with a certain amount of water by a feed conduit 40 which issecured to the tubular member 23 by means of a coupling 41. The supplyof gravel for the feed conduit is preferably obtained by gravity but anysuitable supplying agency may be employed. The gravel passes through thefeed conduit to the feed member 30 which feeds it at a predeterminedrate and prevents too much gravel passing into the quick-silver pan. Asit enters the pan the gravel is first brought in contact with theflaring portion 38 in the center of the rotary member 32 and is forcedover the lip or flange 24: adj acent the inlet opening by the pressuredue to the feeding screw, and is forced down into the quick-silver sothat as the gravel passes through the machine it is at one time whollysubmerged in the quick-silver. The gravel which readily floats in thequick-silver comes into contact with the nubs or spreaders 39 and isforced radially toward the outer edge of the pan where it is finallydischarged through the opening 29.

' I regard this construction as important for during the process justdescribed, the gold bearing gravel is spread out below the feed surface46 and while it is beneath the surface of the quick-silver, is stirred,

knocked about and disintegrated until all the gold has been removed andhas become amalgamated with the quick-silver. The amalgam of gold andsilver being heavy settles into the annular groove 25 and the pocket 26from which it may readily be drawn off through the drain-cock.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a gold separator, the combination of a receptacle for quick-silverhaving an inwardly inclined bottom and a feed conduit extending throughthe bottom of the receptacle and terminating slightly above the level ofthe quick-silver in the said receptacle, means for feeding gravelthrough said feed conduit, and a rotary member located slightly abovethe inner end of said conduit and said bottom, said member having afeeding surface which engages the gravel floating in the quick-silver insaid receptacle and agitates and discharges it therefrom.

2. In a gold separator, the combination of a receptacle havingquick-silver therein, an inwardly inclined bottom and a feed conduitextending through the bottom of'the receptacle and terminating slightlyabove said bottom, means for feeding gravel through said conduit, a lowportion in said bottom immediately adjacent said feed conduit having anoutlet opening therein and means for closing the same, a rotary diskhaving an inwardly inclined feeding surface extending from its outeredge to a point above the low portion in said bottom, said feedingsurface being partially submerged in said quicksilver, and means forfeeding gravel through said feed conduit to the rotary disk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK WV. STEVENS. Witnesses:

CAMERON MACLEOD, ALICE H. MORRISON.

7 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

